i believe it would be fun if the mods made the silk road something unseen, merely a huge trade bonus. That way any faction that possesses the province through which the silk road passes will profit from it regardless... it will be a good land counterbalance to the sea, since there isn't any water in central asia that can improve trade for the landlocked factions. That way too, we can have fun trying to figure out which provinces have the silk road, if the mods keep it secret :)